Looking for the swag lamps that are round in shape and have netting or rope wrapped around them. They are usually colored lights. Does anyone know if these lamps have a specific name? Thanks in advance for any help....

I have many of these lights.
Most are from the Kahiki.
Of the 6 I have from the Kahiki
only 1 is a true glass fishing float.
Most are plastic or just vases with netting tied on them.
Look at a Trader Vics or the Mai Kai next time you go.
This is it.

Very few are actually fish floats. Folks here can testify as to the difficulty in cutting the real things to make lights. And with the number of killed floats to good ones ratio, it is a tough task. Even finding the glass globes the size you see in the vintage TVs is a tough thing.
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I've just ordered a 24" diameter reproduction glass float that I'd like to turn into a light. Any suggestions for the best (i.e. least likely to cause it to shatter)way to create the hole for the light? I think someone recently did it by sandblasting?

Nice lamps, Sven. Here is another example, it's one that I picked up at the Alameda Antiques Market a couple months back. I'm going to put a pufferfish lamp inside of it. I'm unsure if I'm going to put rope netting around it though, because that would cover up it's cool faux translucent tortoise finish.

GREAT BALLS OF FIRE!!!!! cool posts' yall, and thanks for the props, mai tai - I owe you one at FI next time I'm up!

tikiskip - the one at OA looks just like yours - that's a beauty you got! lucky bastard!

Bigbro - nice collection, did you pull that one out of the water yourself? I hear these things wash up in droves along the north coast of japan still. I'd love to beachcomb there and find glass globes rather than all the styrofoam lobster floats around here.

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I've just ordered a 24" diameter reproduction glass float that I'd like to turn into a light. Any suggestions for the best (i.e. least likely to cause it to shatter)way to create the hole for the light? I think someone recently did it by sandblasting?

try it, but make sure the globe isn't too thin. the sand blasting will destroy it. I've seen some vintage 24" globes and they are not the same thickness all the way around, so I would guess that the repro one might be too thin.
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On 2007-08-10 15:38, Mai Tai wrote:I'm going to put a pufferfish lamp inside of it. I'm unsure if I'm going to put rope netting around it though, because that would cover up it's cool faux translucent tortoise finish.

Mai Tai,

Look at Party City, they have thin fishing nets that stretch very well to leave large open areas. I bought a net from there years ago when I started assembling decor for my bar. I had planned on using the net as part of an art project, but I didn't have room for it. When I pulled it out of the packaging (which is about the size of a small manila shipping envelope) I noticed that what I had on had would work great for a float net. Plus if it doesn't work for you, you didn't really spend that much.
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